This invention relates to a nose guard for animals such as horses, show cattle, sheep or dogs, and in particular to a guard for preventing the entry of flies into the animal's nostrils. The invention is, however, particularly useful for horses, and the following description is specific thereto.
A nose or fly guard is used on horses to permit the free flow of air, while protecting the nostrils from flies. The problem of flies entering the nose can be a very serious problem particularly with show jumpers and hunters. If a large number of flies enter the nostrils, the flies become impacted and cause the horse considerable discomfort, and thus necessitates removal under tranquilization by a veterinarian. Nose guards designed to overcome this problem are disclosed, for example, by Canadian Pat. Nos. 130,281, which issued to W. H. Quail on Jan. 3, 1911; 134,707, which issued to J. G. Parkin on Aug. 1, 1911; 176,521, which issued to P. Cottingham et al on Apr. 24, 1917; and 309,178, which issued to L. C. Medearis on Mar. 10, 1931; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,073,511, which issued to P. J. Brownson on Mar. 9, 1937.
Most of the devices disclosed by the above-mentioned patents include a wire mesh or screen, which is relatively heavy, expensive, subject to corrosion, rubbing facial hair and difficult to mount in straps or the like for placing the guard on the nose of a horse.
The object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight nose guard for a horse which is relatively inexpensive, easy to use and structurally simple.